Winter is one of the best times to make plans for a vacation destination. Whether a young couple, mature couple, large family or small, the Jackson Hole area has something offer each diverse traveler. Make this year’s vacation an adventure filled with new experiences while exploring this educational and historic area. Here’s why Jackson Hole (hint: Yellowstone and Grand Teton might have something to do with it).

Why Jackson Hole

Yellowstone National Park

Wyoming is home to our nation’s first National Park, Yellowstone National Park, founded in 1872. However, Yellowstone is not the only park that neighbors Jackson Hole-there is also Grand Teton National Park. Jackson not only has two historic and magnificent parks in its backyard, but is also home to many guest ranches and summer attractions.

Grand Teton National Park

Grand Teton National Park has much to offer as well. This is a great area to enjoy the water or spend the day hiking. Grand Teton has hiking trails suitable for those looking for an easy family picnic and hike to the more adventurous climber and backpacker. Grand Teton has many great opportunities to view wildlife and is a photographer’s dream.

Dude Ranch as Home Base for the Parks

Guest Ranches such as Goosewing Ranch are a great way to visit the area with the ease of an all-inclusive package. While staying at a ranch you can enjoy many different activities from hiking, horseback riding, line dancing, spa treatments, rodeos, cookouts, off-roading, and more. But, make sure you save some time to visit Jackson Hole for some shopping, rodeo, rafting and a quick history lesson, and then head into Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks.

There are many outfitters that will guide you through the parks in all fashions, but if you are a do-it-yourself kind of person here are a few tips. I would suggest leaving your accommodations early in the morning and hitting the trail. You should allow for a full day or more in each park, 12+ hours.

If you only have one day I suggest driving the Lower Loop of Yellowstone. You will see such features as Old Faithful, boiling paint pots, hot springs and swimming holes, waterfalls, grand canyons, and hopefully some wildlife. There are many different boardwalks taking you safely around various features of the park, and you may find park rangers on site to answer questions.

Remember obey all warning and safety postings and keep a vast distance between yourself and ALL wildlife. Yellowstone might have park behind its name but that doesn’t mean it is safe to play or recreate anywhere.

Between Jackson, the national parks of Yellowstone and Grand Teton, the Jackson Hole area has a lot to offer a diverse group of travelers. With a history, adventure, and science rich environment, you will return home with more than a vacation. You will return home having had an experience. When visiting Jackson Hole, expect to experience the Wild West!

Are you searching for new travel destinations? Checking new states off the bucket list? Then Wyoming should be way up there on the priority list. From Jackson Hole’s attractions to the nearby national parks and Goosewing Ranch dude ranch, this is the trifecta of reasons to try Wyoming.

Wyoming tends to fly low on the radar when it comes to vacations. However, there are several gems that make this state stand out. In the northwestern corner lie Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Teton National Park, which attract tourists in the summer and avid skiers and snowboarders in the winter. As a result of these famous spots, Jackson Hole has flourished.

Wyoming: Just the Facts

Capital: Cheyenne

Nickname: Cowboy State, Equality State

Motto: Equal Rights

Admitted to Union: July 10, 1890 – 44th State

Size: 97,914 square miles, 9th largest state

State Sport: Rodeo

Highest Point: Gannett Peak, 13,804 feet

Lowest Point: Belle Fourche River, 3,100 feet

Average Annual Precipitation: 14.5 inches

Population (2010 Census): 563,626

Three Reasons to Choose Wyoming

1. National Parks

The national parks draw a big crowd to Jackson and the Greater Yellowstone area. Yellowstone alone entices about 4 million people per year; the heaviest concentration falls between May and September.

Wyoming is home to two national parks—Grand Teton and Yellowstone—as well as national monuments, historic sites and trails.

Did you know? 96 percent of Yellowstone National Park is in Wyoming.

With 563,000 residents among 62+ million acres, there’s one resident per every 111 acres.

2. Jackson Hole

3. Goosewing Ranch

Aside from being close to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, our ranch sits on the Bridger-Teton National Forest and is the perfect entry point into the Gros Ventre Wilderness. (True to its name, the wilderness has remained untouched by all motorized vehicles – accessible only by foot, horseback, or UTV.)

So if you ask us why you should pick Wyoming, or why you should pick Jackson Hole as your vacation destination, just take a look at this piece of country that is still truly wild. Not many people get to experience our isolated paradise.

I recently received an offer from Goosewing Ranch to join their team for the 2013 summer season. It is a herd of horses, pack of dogs, flock of sheep but what do you call a bunch of cowboys and cowgirls-Wranglers, and wranglers are what we are!

It is my pre-conceived idea that Wranglers grew up riding horses, and dreaming of being a cowboy on a dude or cattle ranch. Why would anyone want to do anything else? However, life didn’t lead me down the road to the West, only in my thoughts. Marriage, corporate life, and children temporarily changed my focus. However, I always kept a horse and stayed active in a few events when the kids didn’t have something going on.

As the kids grew, I at least got to enjoy a Western life style. They competed in youth, high school, college and pro rodeos. Barrel racers, goats, breakaway and the boys rode bulls. Kept putting them on horses but they liked riding bulls. As a family we traveled and made wonderful, long-lasting friendships and memories. But there was always a part of me that wanted to be the one on the horse, not the spectator, cheerleader, chauffeur or rodeo secretary. When my daughter headed off to college she took my barrel horse to compete in college rodeo. That was about twelve years ago and I’m still waiting to get the horse back!

Now, the kids are grown; independent, hard workers with families and careers of their own; spread all over the country. For me, retirement is fast approaching. To supplement my income I could work part-time in the office that is so familiar. Then out of the blue, the idea to follow my own dreams, try to recapture fantasies of riding the range alongside people with the same interest. So I took a leap of faith and started applying, Wrangler, cook, housekeeper, just give me a chance. Goosewing Ranch is giving me that chance and I could not be more excited. The opportunity to work at the ranch will fulfill a lot of my bucket list goals but it has given me a lot more to add. Guest Ranches have opportunities to employee all types of individuals, old, young, experienced horseman/women, cooks, novice horseman and more, just apply and find the dream job you have been waiting for. Jackson Hole is an area that is full of adventures just waiting to take place with both Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks in the local area.

To my surprise/delight, I have actually had a couple of ranches contact me but none compare to Goosewing. Reviewing videos, talking to the manager, looking at the history, I feel privileged to have the opportunity to be a part of this quality outfit. Friendliness, caring and a genuine commitment to the guests, show in the comments from visitors and staff. I look forward to sharing experiences, the beauty of the location, friendships and being a part of fulfilling not only my dreams but those of the guest.

Now the down side! I’ve got to get in shape, lose some weight so I don’t look like I am scaling Everest getting on my horse. Besides my daily job, I run a stable of 12 horses, which require attention before and after work. So even though I am in pretty good shape, a little more preparation won’t hurt. Read up on the history of the country, the native plants and wildlife. Get my first aid and CPR certification. Like I said, my bucket list just keeps growing with more challenging and exciting adventures. Looking forward to my Wyoming Guest Ranch experience.

I am sure many of you out there have wondered what the deal is with the BIG belt buckles that cowboys and cowgirls wear… Of course the practical purpose of the belt buckle is to keep your belt closed, but it also can tell a story. Belt buckles come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, designs, and are unique from one to the other.
Belt buckles are sort of a cowboy’s resume, name tag, and family history all put onto a piece of silver plated metal. Some people will wear a buckle with their name on it, others like to have their favorite tractor or truck, and some their favorite sport or animal to hunt. But, for a cowboy it is usually a trophy to be worn with pride, and to show others their accomplishments. The family history comes in when it is time for a young man or lady to start their own rodeo career, but they haven’t a buckle of their own so Mom or Dad will pass along a buckle of theirs for them to wear.
Belt buckles are given for accomplishments in the “cowboy” world for such things as barrel racing, bull riding, team roping, tie down roping and more. At the local Jackson Hole rodeo contestants compete throughout the season for a chance to win a buckle. At Goosewing Ranch many of our employees wear buckles that they have either won or purchased. You can even buy a buckle with a picture of “Old Faithful” in Yellowstone National Park, or one with the Tetons on it. Even guest ranches and working ranches have buckles made up with their brand on them.
Whatever your style or choice of buckle wear it proudly! Love live Wyoming’s Cowboys!

The lariat is one of the most versatile tools a cowboy has at their disposal. I’m sure you know what a lariat is, even if you have never heard that term used. You would instantly know what I was talking about if I referred to it as a ‘lasso.’ Although most people use it as a noun ‘lasso’, is actually a verb. There is no faster way to flag yourself as a layman than calling a lariat a ‘lasso.’ Most of the people who actually use a lariat, however, often refer to it as a rope, and the act of using it, ‘roping.’

There are about as many sizes, styles, and options for ropes as there are for cars. You can get them in a variety of lengths, colors, levels of softness, and made out of a range of materials. The main thing lariats have in common is that they are slightly stiffer than ‘regular’ rope. A lariat needs to be stiff so the loop will stay open when it is thrown, and so the person using it can open and close the loop easily with one hand. The standard rope you see used at most rodeo events is made of braided nylon and is between 30 and 35 feet. These ropes are almost always used in the sports of team roping and tie-down roping. The goal in both of these events is to rope the cattle as quickly as possible. Although these ropes can be used for ranch chores, it is common to have what is known as a ranch rope for work around the ranch.

A ranch rope is a type of lariat that is much longer than its rodeo cousin. Ranch ropes can easily be between 50 or 60 feet long, and are generally not as stiff. Ranch roping is almost never the fast paced action you see in the rodeo arena. The big difference is that in ranch roping you have to deal with a herd of animals, instead of 1-on-1 in an arena. Ranch roping focuses on accuracy and controlling the movements of the animal. Much like a baseball player, ranch ropers employ a variety of different throwing styles. There is everything from your basic over hand throw to something called Johnny Blockers*.

You might be thinking that this all sounds good and well, but that it seems like an awful lot of work to learn how to lasso something. You would be right, but at Goosewing Ranch we would be more than happy to teach you. I have taught many people how to throw a rope in Jackson Hole Wyoming and it always seems like everyone else picked it up faster than I did. If you can throw a ball of any kind, I know we can get you lassoing something. I’m sure by the time your guest ranch vacation is coming to an end you will be hard pressed to stop lassoing your spouse, child, or dog. (In fact I can almost assure you that they will be politely asking you to stop).

*A Johnny Blocker is where you throw the lariat slightly in front of the calf, and then pull the loop back onto their head.

Rodeos have a long and vibrant history. The roots of modern rodeos can be traced back to the late 1700s and 1800s. Spanish ranchers who settled in Mexico brought over many of their ranching techniques and taught them to their Mexican ranch hands, also known as vaqueros. As Spanish influence waned in the 1800s the vaqueros moved north and passed on much of their knowledge to Americans moving out and settling the new western frontier.

As the West was settled nearby ranches began holding informal competitions between their outfits to see who was the best at doing ranch chores. Chores like breaking horses and roping cattle provided the basis for the modern day events that we see in rodeos. Many cowboys began to find themselves out of work as trains spread toward the west coast and the range lands were fenced in around the time of the American Civil War. The solution for these cowboys was to travel around and exhibit their skills in Wild West Shows, and local rodeos. In the early days the performers in the two shows were one in the same. The rodeos of this time period were still almost completely unorganized, which led to much confusion. Rodeos were put on by local communities and there was little communication between them. Many of the competitors didn’t know what events were being offered, or even what the rules were going to be until they arrived and paid their entry fees.

In the early 1900s rodeos began to be structured more and more by official rodeo organizations. These organizations put together a formal set of rules and judging guidelines. Eventually Wild West shows fell on the wayside and rodeos became more and more like we see them today. Rodeos were actually one of the first sports to have a dedicated governing body with the creation of the Rodeo Association of America(RAA) in 1929. Today we have the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association(PRCA) which puts on the famous National Finals Rodeo every year in Las Vegas. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, Jackson Hole, has a rodeo every Wednesday and Saturday night. Rodeos have been popular on guest ranch and dude ranches, like Goosewing Ranch, for generations.

Rodeos have changed quite a bit over the years, but it’s fun to think about how rodeos have transformed from a simple competition between neighbors to the competitive sport it is today.

Other interesting facts about rodeos:

The ‘invention’ of steer wrestling can be attributed to just one man, Bill Pickett. It is the only event that can be attributed to only one person.

The most popular event in the rodeos in the late 1800s and early 1900s was trick roping, also known as ‘fancy roping’

Women were a regular part of bronc and bull riding in early rodeos, but became publicly unpopular after a woman was killed in 1929

There are many claims to the first rodeo, but the earliest recorded is Santa Fe, NM (1842)

Our Independence Day Special includes a trip in to famous Jackson Hole, Wyoming for the parade, lunch in Grand Teton National Park, rodeo, and fireworks. This is a great family vacation package…